Lincoln MKX

The MKX wears Lincoln’s retro grille and features a handsome interior with a high level of standard equipment. Underneath it’s basically a Ford Flex, with which it shares its underpinnings. There’s one powertrain: a 3.7-liter V-6 with a six-speed automatic with front-wheel drive; all-wheel drive is optional. On the road, the MKX has adequate power. It’s quiet and comfortable, but it competes in a crowded segment, and it’s not a segment buster. An all-new MKC goes on sale in the fall of 2015. Official Photos and Info – 2016 Lincoln MKX

Gen X Is Aging, But The 2016 Lincoln MKX Is All-New

If the Edge-based crossover is as good as its little brother, geriatric Lincoln could be onto something.

The less said about the Lincoln MKS, the better. It’s a dismal vehicle that nobody should buy. The MKZ isn’t as bad, but it’s merely a Fusion that doesn’t look as good or feel quite as light on its feet. At this point, it might begin to sound like we’re card-carrying members of the Society for the Denigration of Edsel Ford’s Legacy. We’re not. Despite Lincoln’s still-questionable grille treatment, the MKC is a pretty easy vehicle to like, as we noted in our instrumented test. It evokes little of the Ford Escape it shares bones with. In short, Lincoln’s entry-level crossover is the very best vehicle it currently sells, and we hope that from here on out, it stands to serve as the baseline for the brand. Which brings us to the new-for-2016 MKX, a vehicle that seems very much like a larger chip knocked from a smaller block.

As the Escape is to the MKC, the new Edge is to the MKX. Befitting a more luxurious Lincoln, it receives no paltry four-pot powerplant. Lincolns, after all, have twelve cylinders breathing through a side-valve arrangement. Or they did in 1937. Fast-forward to 2016, and the MKX will make do with only half of the old Zephyr’s cylinder count. The base powerplant is the familiar 3.7-liter engine, making 300 horsepower. You know it as the mill that finally made secretary-spec Mustangs fun. Uplevel juice comes from Ford’s 2.7-liter twin-turbo unit. Lincoln is mum on the final numbers for the 2.7, but they claim the forced-induction six will make more than 330 horsepower and better than 370 lb-ft of torque. Take that, Lexus RX.

With an eye toward its presumed station in life, Lincoln is fitting the new ute with all the mod cons. Via the MyLincoln Mobile app, owners will be able to find, start, lock, and unlock the car. Because Mercedes-Benz and Porsche have teamed up with Burmester, Acura with Krell, Bentley with Naim, and Lexus with Mark Levinson, Lincoln has partnered with Harman’s Revel division to offer a 13-speaker audio system, designed to iron the harshness out of compressed digital audio piped in via the MyLincoln Touch system.

A mobile theater practically demands fancy seats, so Lincoln is offering 22-way adjustable front chairs with “active motion.” We like the idea that while coastin’, MKX drivers might conceivably take another sip of the potion and hit the active motion. Ice Cube is 46 this year. Surely he’s sick and tired of things going wrong with that old Impala. The six adjustable air bladders in the seat cushion and five in the seatback would undoubtedly do his aging body some good while stuck in exasperating Los Angeles traffic. There’s even a handy thigh bolster that automatically deflates for easier ingress and egress.

Motoring-oriented conveniences include precollision assist that yelps at the driver, then automatically applies the brakes if he or she seems unresponsive; available LED lamps that broaden their beam during zero-to-35-mph acceleration; an auto-hold feature that relieves the operator of the burden of holding the brake pedal during stops. Also included: Lincoln’s now-signature push-button shifter, and a 360-degree camera for low-speed maneuvering in tight spaces. The parking cam additionally offers a 180-degree front split view to help when peeking out into traffic.

Black Label editions will be available at launch, with one theme inspired by the glamour of 1920s Paris, the other taking its cues from horse racing. Hemingway or Bukowski, pick your poison. Just remember, Bukowski died of leukemia in San Pedro at the age of 73. Hemingway went out in a more violent fashion. We’re not sure exactly why this is important when it comes to choosing a CUV’s trim level. Presumably, Lincoln is targeting a literate demographic here, and as James Hetfield—Poet Laureate of the Master Yoda School of Distorted Syntax—once wince-inducingly growled, “my lifestyle determines my deathstyle.” Hetfield is 51 years old these days. His local Lincoln salesman might see about getting him into one of these babies.

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